Editor,
For a long time debate has swirled around why Belvidere
taxpayers continue to pay Belvidere Township Government
taxes. As a City of Belvidere resident, what has Belvidere
Township done for you lately or ever? I would say the
overwhelming majority of Belvidere taxpayers do not see
any benefits. And, the few that are provided could easily
be provided by the municipality or county with little or no
expense.
Belvidere Township royalty struggles to define their own
spending mission, as within a span of weeks they denied a
donation request for food for the needy, after attempting to
justify the purchase of rental property that shares parking
with adjacent business property owned by one of their own
trustees. All the while claiming to serve only Belvidere
Township! Enough already.
Bottom line, taxpayers struggle to pay taxes to the
city and county, while Belvidere Township is sitting on
$7,600,000.00 of the same city and county taxpayer’s
seemingly redundant tax dollars. Belvidere Township
does not plow or maintain city streets or sidewalks, nor do
they maintain water, sewer or any other city infrastructure.
Belvidere homeowners pay $357.00 annually (based on a
$100,000.00 home) to the city for all of these services and
according to the city administration, the same homeowner
pays nearly an additional $200.000 in taxes annually to the
Township, a donation for what?
How phony for the elected (so called) conservatives to
claim they are all about shrinking government as they hack
away at hard working teachers, public safety professionals
and other blue collar workers pay and benefits, yet some
(elected officials) continue to dip their snouts in the public
trough and refuse to acknowledge some government taxes
and sacred cows need to go. It is time elected officials
rationalize what they are doing, no matter who is receiving
a paycheck. And since Belvidere Township self servants
refuse to consider taxpayers then taxpayers need to consider
them. How ironic due to the poor economy Belvidere
schools potentially face a $7 million shortfall while the
Township sits on $7.6 million dollars in cash.
Late last year the City Council of Evanston, Illinois
expressed their concern for taxpayers and tax reform voting
to support placing on a referendum the question whether
voters wished to dissolve township government and
associated redundant taxation, potentially saving $700,000
per year. I happen to believe that Belvidere Township
Government specifically is both an unnecessary tax on city
residents and long outdated. However, more important than
my thoughts are what taxpayers and voters believe.
On 02/27/12 I asked the Belvidere City Council to
support a motion calling for an advisory referendum
question on whether or not the City of Belvidere should
pursue the issue of dissolving Belvidere Township granting
relief to City of Belvidere residents from duplicate taxation.
The Council supported the motion by a vote of 7-2.
Additionally, I have filed a request with Belvidere
Township to allow all voters residing in Belvidere Township
to vote on whether or not to dissolve Belvidere Township.
This yearly meeting will take place on April 10, 2012.
Attendance at this meeting is required to vote.
Either way, allowing the electorate to be heard is the
right thing to do. As (Mark) Twain said, “Do the right thing
if will please some people and astonish the rest.”
Clinton Morris
Belvidere Alderman Ward 1
Editor
Once again someone, this time Belvidere alderman Clint
Morris, wants to do away with township government without
knowing what township government is or does.
Does he believe that city residents never drive on township
roads? Many city residents use them daily to get to work, get
kids to school or in the performance of their jobs.
Does he believe property values on which city taxes are
based somehow magically appear, or are they the result of
professional tax assessors in the township assessor’s office?
He bemoans the fact that township funds have a healthy
balance while the city is using tax intended to fund city
infrastructure for daily operating expenses. Could it be
that the township is managing its funds better than the City
Council?
He derides the township for denying funds to one charitable
organization (the Boone County Food Pantry) and derides
them again for considering the purchase of a building for
another charitable organization (the Belvidere Family
YMCA). Mr. Morris, how can the township be wrong on
both counts.
Eliminating township government would result in one
less layer of government, but, rest assured, will not result in
lower tax bills, only larger, less efficient, more bureaucratic
government.
Perhaps a better solution than dissolving Belvidere
Township would be to eliminate Belvidere City Council.
Sincerely,
Maxwell H. Newport
Belvidere, IL 61008
The above Letters to the Editor are available in this week’s Boone County Journal which is available free of cost at merchants across the county and on the internet at: http://www.boonecountyjournal.com/news/2012/Boone-County-News-03-09-12.pdf#page=3
No comments:
Post a Comment